The proposed changes, leaked in a Buzzfeed story on Saturday, would see Twitter change its reverse chronological timeline, in which new tweets appear first, and introduce an algorithmic timeline in which popular tweets appeared first on the site.

Twitter plans to introduce big changes this year, and recently showed off its first permanent Australian base.Source:Supplied

The change would reportedly work in a similar way to Twitter’s ‘While you were away’ feature that lets a computer identify and deliver noteworthy tweets from people you follow.

Twitter’s timeline overhaul would have made the social network appear more like Facebook, which swapped its as-it-happens News Feed for one determined by an algorthim that sometimes delivers updates from days earlier.

It comes at a time when Twitter is under pressure to attract new users and perform financially, as its share price has dropped 55 per cent in the past year, and growth has slowed to just 11 per cent.

Twitter timeline testers reported told The Verge the network’s newest feature showed highlights at the top of user’s Twitter feed, and it could be switched back to a reverse chronological timeline by refreshing it.

One user said the new feature made conversations and live events difficult to follow, but another said it helped him to catch up on tweets he’d missed.

Other Twitter users have criticised the proposed changes, many tweeting under the hashtag #RIPTwitter, including high-profile users and those concerned their tweets would be hidden behind celebrity musings.

One of the great rewards of being an adult is deciding ON YOUR OWN who (and what) you should be interested in. #RIPTwitter